


The Black Horse

by Unoriginality



Series: The Horsemen [3]
Category: Marvel, Thor - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-27 04:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2679824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unoriginality/pseuds/Unoriginality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanaheim was a refuge for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Black Horse

_this hunger seems to feed on me_   
_a sacred sin_   
_a dying breed_   
-In This Moment

**Summer**

Vanaheim was a refuge for him.

After the loss of Asgard and Sigyn both from his life, Loki turned to the one place he might still have a friend. He couldn't remember for certain if Hogun had been in Asgard or not during the plague, there were so many deaths that were closer to him that he was focused on.

He hoped Hogun would still be there. Loki was tired of being alone.

For once, luck was on his side as he arrived at the village he knew to be Hogun's. He was greeted by his old friend, who noted his weary appearance and welcomed him to his home.

The crops were in full bloom, corn sweet and silver on the stalk, not quite ready for harvest, but tempting, none the less. He'd slip out of the house Hogun had invited him into at night to explore the fields, enjoying the feeling of life they gave, something sorely missed in his world of death.

Hogun knew he went out, he was too aware of his surroundings not to, but he said nothing about it, not even when Loki would sleep in the next morning, or nap that afternoon.

Slowly, Loki tried to heal.

**Fall**

Frost hit early that year, killing many of the crops as the cold and ice lingered more than a week over the once-healthy food that grew in the fields. Hunters moved out to try to get enough meat to make up for the loss of crops.

But with the freeze, even the plants that prey fed on had died, leaving few animals to hunt.

Famine swept across the land.

Loki became busy, trying to push away the cold, but no matter how hard he tried, removing cold was not within his abilities. He watched helplessly as yet another realm he tried to call home slowly died off.

But people survived famines. Perhaps not in great numbers, but they would survive.

**Winter**

With the poor nutrition and cold, a plague came that Loki had seen before.

Around him, the vanir grew sick, weak and feverish, with a wet cough that Loki would never forget the sound of.

Hogun took ill first, and Loki would rise before dark had broken to prepare what little food they had, warm broth and bread, to tend to his sick friend, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this time he'd prevent the death of someone he cared about.

Just one person, he prayed. He and Hogun had never been that close, but he was all he had left.

But there was no one to answer. After all, who could the gods pray to?

**Spring**

The spring brought wind storms and lightning, making it too treacherous to plant a new crop. Even if the weather was cooperative, there was hardly anybody left to plant. Everyone was either starved or sick and it seemed the past was just repeating itself over and over again. Even when other factors came into play, it always went back to an illness.

Hogun, despite Loki's best efforts, passed away in mid spring, just when flowers had sprouted on the trees and in the fields. Nobody else remained.

Loki buried his last friend under the willow tree in his yard and left another dead realm behind.


End file.
